Five times Jack woke up alone
by lilyleia78
Summary: Five vingettes from Jack and Sky's developing relationship. Spans SPD. Rating is for a section which has a non-explict sexual reference.


Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Slash, you've been warned. Reviews are love!

**Five times Jack woke up alone (and one time he didn't)**

_The first time it was expected, even pleasant. (Reference-Walls)_

After calling a truce with bumped fists and a game of lightball, Sky surprised Jack by suggesting that they sleep together to work out their obvious sexual attraction. Sky watched with smug amusement as Jack froze. The idea was definitely appealing, but first they lay down some ground rules.

This wasn't about pretending to have feelings for each other. It was just sex, just one time, and no expectations. They were resolving their sexual tension in order to work together more effectively. No-strings-attached sex with the gorgeous blue ranger - who in their right mind would refuse that?

So when Jack woke up the next day he was happy to be sated and still free.

_The second time it should have been expected. (Reference-Idol)_

Cleaning the entrance to SPD turned out to be a full day affair. There was a minor interruption to track down a robbery suspect, and later Sky took Jack to buy him a new toothbrush. Really, it seemed the least he could do. When they got back to B-wing Jack invited Sky inside and wasn't surprised when Sky grabbed him before the door even closed behind them. Sky's pride and heart had taken a beating, and Jack was willing to help him work through it.

There had been more encounters since the first. They had been kidding themselves that one time would be enough. If anything, the draw to each other was stronger. Jack had found Sky to be a very generous lover. However, these were not normal circumstances and Jack allowed the other man control. He knew this wasn't about them or their issues. It was about Sky and Dru.

Then Sky surprised him. When Jack tried to roll Sky onto his stomach, the blue ranger instead pushed Jack onto his back. He rolled on a condom and prepared them both quickly, but hesitated before pressing forward. Jack met his searching gaze steadily. He gave in to instinct and pulled Sky down for a tender kiss. Somehow the kiss felt like the most intimate thing they'd ever done.

Sky never took his eyes off Jack's face as he joined them together, and Jack felt his heart jump. Maybe this was more about him than he thought.

He had expected to wake up alone. So there was no reason he should have felt a small jolt of disappointment or hurt when he did. No reason at all.

_The third time it was Jack's fault. (Reference-Recognition)_

Jack peered into Sky and Bridge's room. Sky was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling.

"Where's Bridge?" he asked. Sky didn't so much as glance in his direction.

"RIC and I broke something. Bridge said he'd fix it. I think he feels guilty for not knowing that Wootox had taken over my body."

"Yeah, that's kind of why I'm here too." Jack admitted as he perched on the edge of the bed. Sky still wouldn't look at him, but he didn't tell him to leave either. Jack took this as an encouraging development and continued, "Listen…I'm really sorry. I should have known. I noticed you - _he_ was acting strange. If I had done some more research into his background…"

Sky sighed and pulled Jack down until they were side by side. He rolled so they were facing each other. "I'm not going to say it didn't hurt, but I don't blame you. If our positions had been reversed I can't promise I would have done any better."

"I'm still sorry. Next time we'll think of a signal to let the other know we're trapped in an alien body."

Sky looked doubtful. Then he grinned. "Sure. I'll just throw you down on the nearest flat surface and have my way with you."

Jack cocked an eyebrow at the blue ranger. "What would that prove? I'm irresistible to most people _and_ aliens."

Sky threw his head back and laughed before pressing a soft kiss to Jack's lips. Jack moved closer and teased Sky's mouth open with his tongue, losing himself in the warmth of Sky. The mood was lost unexpectedly when Sky broke up in laughter again.

"Sorry," Sky said. "I was just thinking. What _would_ you have done if I was stuck in Wootox's body? I'm not sure that body was even anatomically compatible. Kind of puts a crimp in our secret signal plan."

Jack saw his point and chuckled, "You're right. I would have been forced to dump you."

"Hey!" Sky scolded in mock indignation. "I knew you were just using me for my body."

"I was joking. I would still love you, even in another body."

It took a moment to realize that Sky was no longer laughing with him. It took a few seconds longer to replay what he'd just said. Sky was looking at him with surprise and…was that hope?

Jack stood up abruptly, facing away from the bed and Sky. Suddenly he couldn't seem to breathe. What the heck had he just done? Had he just admitted (albeit in a roundabout way) that he _loved _Sky? When the heck had that happened?

Behind him Jack could hear the bedclothes shift as Sky sat up. "It's okay...I lo…I know you were just joking. Unless…_were_ you just joking?" Sky's voice was hesitant, unsure, very un-Sky-like.

Sky's aborted response made him slightly lightheaded. But it was too much, too fast. He certainly hadn't come here intending to declare his feelings for Sky. He hadn't even been aware that those were his feelings until they tumbled out. He needed to get away and sort this out in his head. Jack took a step toward the door. He was stopped by a soft hand on his arm. Reluctantly he turned to face the source of his confusion.

"Bridge will probably be out all night. You know how he gets when he starts tinkering. You could stay."

It sounded tempting. If only Jack could catch his breath. He steadied himself so he could answer without revealing his panic. "No, I promised Z that I would stop by to help with…something. Rain check?"

That night Jack dreamed of Sky. He saw the flash of pain in Sky's eyes over and over again. After a restless night, and waking up to a cold empty bed, Jack knew what he had to do. He headed to Sky's room, hoping that Bridge was still out. He had another apology to make. And this time he wasn't going to run away.

_The fourth time it Sky's fault. (No episode reference)_

"Stupid Sky," Jack muttered to himself as he rolled over for the fifth time. It wasn't logical that his single person bed could actually be less comfortable when it held only one body. Not logical, but true anyway. If Sky hadn't gotten himself injured Jack would still be blissfully asleep. Instead he had woken up in the middle of the night for no reason, and now he couldn't go back to sleep.

_This is crazy. I do not need Sky to sleep_, he thought to himself. He'd slept alone plenty, even since he and the blue ranger had started seeing each other. And this certainly wasn't the worst place he'd ever spent the night.

Finally coming to the conclusion that returning to sleep was a lost cause, Jack grabbed his blanket and headed down to the infirmary. Sky was lost in a drug-induced slumber, so Jack settled himself on the nearest bed. He soon drifted off, lulled by the steady rhythm of Sky's breath.

_The fifth time it was nobody's fault. (Reference-Zapped)_

Jack was tired right down to his bones. His decision to lead the team undercover against orders had earned him a night watch, and right now he couldn't remember a time when he'd wanted to sleep so badly. Jack staggered into his room with plans to flop down fully clothed but stopped when he realized the bed was already occupied.

He gently brushed the back of his hand against Sky's cheek. The other man's eyes opened. He smiled and slid over to make room. Jack quickly removed his uniform and crawled into bed. The two men took a few minutes to settle themselves around each other. They shivered as Jack's cooler body made contact with Sky's sleep-warm one.

"Hey," Sky whispered his voice husky with sleep, eyes closing again. "How was watch?"

"Uneventful," Jack murmured back. The darkness combined with his exhaustion was rapidly sending him to sleep. "Totally worth it to come back to this. Nice surprise."

Sky opened one eye. "Surprise?"

Jack half shrugged in the other mans embrace struggling to focus on the conversation. "I didn't sleep here. Didn't expect you to." He didn't know how to explain his content feeling. Sky wasn't sleeping here because it was convenient after a late night spent together. He was here because this was where he belonged. Luckily, Sky either understood or was too tired to care.

"This is where we sleep." Sky focused on his bed partner groggily. "It's not as much fun without you though."

Jack tightened his arms around Sky. "I hope that's not a proposition, because I am thirty seconds from blacking out." He faintly heard Sky's answering chuckle as he drifted off.

He woke up in the afternoon. There was a note on the desk promising him a lunch date when he was ready. Suddenly, waking up alone didn't seem so bad.

_The last time Jack didn't wake up alone, though he may have deserved to. (Reference-Endings)_

Jack knew that leaving without telling anyone was probably not the smartest idea he'd ever had. A year ago he could have walked away with only a small pang of regret for Z, but he wasn't that person anymore. He owed it to his friends to explain why he wanted to leave. He owed it to the man he loved too, but he couldn't do it. The reason was simple; he was scared.

Jack was scared that he would look into Sky's eyes and see hurt, scared that Sky would ask him to stay. This new business with Ally was important to him. Helping people in a smaller, more personal way was more satisfying to Jack than staying with SPD would have been. This was the right choice for him, and he wasn't sure Sky would understand that.

But even more than that, Jack was afraid he would look into Sky's eyes and see indifference. He was terrified that Sky _wouldn't_ ask him to stay. Jack didn't know if he could handle that. Better to wait for Sky to come to him and then show him that leaving SPD changed nothing for him.

When Sky and the rest of the team did show up Jack realized that he was an idiot.

"You might have left SPD, but you're not leaving our lives," Jack could feel Sky's eyes on him as he spoke. The warmth there told him all he needed to know. It was obvious that he had vastly underestimated Sky. Sky wasn't disappointed, hurt, or angry. He understood perfectly.


End file.
